(no subject)

[which_chick]

On chocolate-covered coconut balls: research continues. Making the coconut sticky enough to hold together with canned coconut milk product (suitable for thai curries and so forth) was an awesomely successful idea and turned out way nicer (less sticky, not overly-sweet) than using sweetened, condensed milk. Coconut isn't that strong of a flavor and the sweetened, condensed milk was overlaying it in an annoying way. The coconut milk amps up the coconut flavor and has a lighter feel to it, so much better choice.



For the try-this-at-home-crowd, I'm using the moist coconut in the blue bag (Baker's) in the baking section of my grocery. It's pre-sweetened exactly right for this use and wetter than most pre-shredded coconut, which is why I am using it. Also, I figured that if this didn't work out, I could just eat the coconut out of the bag. (It's best to use ingredients you like so that if the recipe bombs or you have leftovers, you will be able to eat them. This is precisely why I do not ever put in capers or anchovies even if the recipe says to do so.) The chocolate i am using is 80% dark Ghirardelli's in the large over-a-buck bars, also in the baking section of the grocery. I like it plain, so I figured I would like it on coconut balls. The coconut milk I'm using is "A Taste of Thai" brand, in the alarmingly ethnic food section of the grocery store. (YMMV on the store locations.)

Tempering chocolate continues to be duck-soup easy, not sure why I thought it was difficult for so long. Probably I am an idiot. I also got to use my thermometer from The Bacon Project, so yay. I may need to eventually get a candy thermometer but this one works pretty well and has a digital readout. (I hate analog devices -- the guesstimation that I have to do when I run out of marks drives me up the fucking wall. It's so imprecise. Gas gauges, in particular, really yank my chain. I *understand*, intellectually, that digital devices have the same 'guesstimate' thing below their resolution, but for some reason this doesn't piss me off like the analog thing does.)

The fly in the ointment for this process remains the fact that the coconut balls start to shred as soon as they hit the chocolate. They just don't have a huge amount of cohesion (not markedly worse for coconut milk vs. sweetened condensed milk, either) and the chocolate is not *quite* liquid enough to flow nicely around not-very-cohesive coconut balls. If the chocolate *is* that hot, it's out of temper and won't set up pretty. The balls need to have a smooth, shiny, appealing coat of chocolate over them, so this is important. (I am aware that there exist chocolate molds that I could pre-line with a coating of chocolate and then put the filling in and then cover over with a closure-layer of chocolate on the bottom. I view the use of molds as cheating and unaesthetically appealing, so we will not be going there in our journey of chocolate goodness.)

This is something of a conundrum for me, honestly. I may have to do actual internet research to find out how to remedy the problem without adding more ick to the innards to firm up the coconut. There have to be ways to dip or chocolate-coat soft fillings. How else do they make fucking truffles?

I realize that my totally sexy heart-shaped ass (I was recently reminded of this at the aforementioned outing and he-who-said-so was by no means the first person to have told me this about my ass. *sigh* Judging from the commentary that arises when I walk among men, it is apparently my sole redeeming feature. You'd think they could notice the sparkling wit or something, but nope. In my darker moments, I think they're biased on the general appeal of the booty because they're so damn happy to see me leave.) has no actual need for perfect chocolate covered coconut balls, but they are licious and I would like to have the process correct. It's all about the process, really. Plus I'm eating the drafts as I revise the process, not that you had to be told so. You probably could have gotten that far on your own.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_the_firedancer/]

Try semi freezing the coconut balls before dipping them?
The way I've always done dipped chocolates involves toothpicks and a styrofoam block. I gather that stuff used for plant arranging also works, though I fail at recalling the name. Plus, I'm sure it's expensive.

Stick the toothpick in the item to be dipped, and dip, twirling to ensure even coatage. Then stick said toothpick into styrofoam like a lolly. When the chocolate hardens, remove toothpick, and if necessary chip off any dripped chocolate.

Voila. When you've done it a few times, it's not even messy.

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

The internets agree with you -- some sort of cooling does seem to be the missing step for keeping the innards solid during dipping. I've made a note.

I don't mind that they'll be flat on the bottom after dipping and the set-them-on-wax-paper thing works fine for me, but I might invest in some sort of stick thing to hold them with for the dipping part because I am tired, tired I say, of getting chocolate all over my fingers.

Also: The time change thing. I hate it.

[sara-merry99.livejournal.com]

I am watching these experiments in chocolate covered coconut balls with great interest. I'm very much looking forward to the final process when you have it worked out. (To you I leave the research, but I'll happily take advantage of your labors. :D)

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

Unlike the caramels (you should totally make those yourself -- they're dead easy), the chocolate coconut balls will not ship well. Also, I am not sure of the durability of the coconut-filling as far as food safety and thus feel that the balls should be consumed fairly soon after manufacture. I wouldn't trust them lingering about for days with the USPS. (Eating them quickly is not much of a challenge -- nom, nom, nom.)

That said, if you're patient, I will probably bring them to a function at some indefinite future time. They'll travel well enough to make it to the designated location whereas things like potato salad would not.

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

A quick wiki says that yes, coconut milk spoils in fairly short order, so either keep-in-the-fridge or eat-right-away. Good to know, that.

[sara-merry99.livejournal.com]

Actually the "taking advantage" I was speaking of was letting you work out the process and post it so I can make them myself. You can be the principal researcher and I will replicate your results. Though I will be quite pleased to partake if you, coconut balls, and I are all at the same function. :D

I did make the caramels with my mum--you are correct that they are dead easy and delicious. My mum's a total ho for caramels so she ate about 2/3ds of the batch all on her ownsome, and all of them were gone in about a week. So I had *amusement* in addition to a reasonable quantity of caramels to enjoy.

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

I did look for "real" coconut egg recipes but they all use totally fucking hideous amounts of powdered sugar. (Like one or two bags of coconut to 1 lb. powdered sugar. That's excessive. I want a coconut egg, not a powdered-sugar egg.) I went off-road because I wanted something more like a Mounds candy bar, except not so sweet and more coconut-flavored. Mounds are too sweet, really.

I'm going to give this another whirl later this week, changing for (a) 70% dark chocolate as it has a bit less bite than the 80 and (b) chilling the fillings for an hour before dipping them.

I've been measuring the balls with my cookie scoop (an xmas present from my OCD cousin Heather) and that's a great size for a nosh plus also uniformity of things makes my heart glad. The yield from this recipe is pathetic, about ten balls from half a bag of coconut and most of a chocolate bar... but there's no filler and they're starting to taste totally correct.

The wet part is less than a quarter cup of coconut milk. It's a tiny amount, you just stir up the can (it usually separates in the can) and then drizzle it over the top of the coconut, stirring/mashing the coconut with a spoon as you go until all of the coconut holds together in a big wad. It is better to go slowly and have things a bit dry than to overdo and have things too wet. You'll have plenty of coconut milk left over to make a curry with.

[sara-merry99.livejournal.com]

Cool! Thanks for the info. I'll wait and try it when you've reported on the success (or lack thereof) of freezing the coconut balls before dipping them. :D

[wootsauce.livejournal.com]

The more you talk about making chocolate covered things, the more I want chocolate covered things!